Mike Penning has called on the Attorney General to appeal a sentence handed out to a man who raped a 10-year-old girl.

Reacting to news that a paedophile who raped a ten-year-old girl will be released in just four months, Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning has written to the Attorney General calling for him to use his powers to appeal against the leniency of the sentence.

Keith Fenn was given two sentences of 18 months to run concurrently by controversial judge, Julian Hall. As Fenn has already spent 8 months in jail awaiting trial, he will be released in just four months.

Judge Hall said he handed out the lenient sentence because the girl had looked much older and dressed provocatively. Also in summing up Judge Hall referred to the child as a “young woman” and said the case was “exceptional” because the “young woman” was wearing a frilly bra and a thong.

Mike Penning said:

”This is ludicrous. What kind of message do we send to paedophiles with such lenient sentences? This child was just 10 years old. The comments that the case is exceptional merely because the girl was wearing a frilly bra and a thong are simply perverse and disgraceful.”

He added

“It is irrelevant how the girl dressed or behaved, she is a child of just ten years old. She has been in care since the age of four so she has no parents who can support her or who can call for the sentence to be reviewed. The Attorney General should appeal this mockery of a sentence.”

In April this year and following a series of high profile similar cases, Mike Penning called for a debate in the House of Commons on leniency in sentencing guidelines.